Tokens of Affection
by SwordQueen
Summary: Bobby Hobbes does a little jewelery shopping.


**Tokens of Affection (Slash - Darien/Bobby)**

**By SwordQueen**

**(Copyright August 2002)**

"Look at her, Fawkes. Just look at her!" Bobby Hobbes said with admiration as he and his partner headed toward the van.

Hobbes' partner, one Darien Fawkes, a/k/a the Invisible Man, turned to look in the direction Bobby was staring and watched as his attractive blonde Keeper, Claire, headed leisurely toward her black SUV.

"Yeah," Darien said with a longing sigh, "She is a beauty! I wonder what kind of mileage she gets on that thing?"

"I'm not talking about the car you idiot!" Hobbes stated with mild annoyance. "I'm talking about Claire."

"The Keep?"

"Yeah, the Keep! Look at those hips, will ya? Hips like that are always a sign of a good breeder."

Darien nearly choked as he rounded the front of the van and reached for the passenger side door. "Breeder?" he repeated with chagrin. He chuckled slightly as he climbed inside the van. "I would _love_ to hear the choice words Claire would have for you if she heard you calling her that!"

Already seated at the wheel, and totally unfazed, Hobbes replied, "Hey! It doesn't matter how you phrase it, my friend. What you see before you is one hell of a woman -- not to mention the _future_ Mrs. Robert A. Hobbes."

Darien grimaced. "Oh, give me a break, Hobbes! I can't believe you're still hanging on to that insane fantasy."

"Hey, I've got your insane fantasy, Fawkes!" Bobby protested as he pulled the van out of the lot. "You can go ahead and be a non-believer if you want, but Claire _will_ be my wife one day. Mark my words, my friend. Mark my words."

Darien studied his partner for a moment. "Did you take your medication today, Hobbes?"

"Look, my medication has nothing to do with this," Bobby said defensively, then paused thoughtfully before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his pill bottle. Snapping the top off with his thumb, he held the bottle up to his mouth and quickly swallowed a couple of the capsules before snapping the cap back into place and returning it to his pocket. "Now, as I was saying …" he continued.

Darien, however, wasn't listening. His attention was completely focused on the small black box that had accidentally fallen out of his partner's pocket when the other man had taken out his pills. "What the hell is this?" he asked, picking the box up and preparing to open it.

"Hey! Give me that!" Hobbes demanded, trying his best to keep his eyes on the road AND on what Darien was doing with the little box. Unfortunately, his attempts to retrieve the box from his friend proved futile. Since Darien wasn't driving, he had way more freedom of movement than Bobby (in addition to those long, lanky arms) and took full advantage of the fact.

Leaning as far toward the passenger-side window as he could, Darien opened up the box and let out a loud "Hobbes? Is this what I think it is?"

Bobby grew extremely uncomfortable, and all the shifting he was doing in his seat made it apparent.

"Hobbes? Answer me, man! Is this what I think it is?" Darien demanded, holding the box up accusingly.

Scratching at the back of his head, Hobbes couldn't even bring himself to look at Darien, much less answer his question. "What do you, uh, think it is?" he asked weakly.

"IT'S A FUCKING ENGAGEMENT RING, HOBBES!" Darien yelled at his partner. He had been trying really hard to be patient with Bobby, but this was just too much. "I can't believe you actually went out and bought an engagement ring!"

"Look, what I do is my business," Bobby protested, as he made yet another vain attempt to retrieve the box.

Darien continued to hold the box just out of Bobby's reach as he stared at his friend for a long, tense moment. Then, silently, he closed the box and handed it back before twisting his body sideways to stare angrily out the window.

Still watching the road, Bobby took the box and put it back in his pocket. Sparing a glance at his partner, he shrugged. "That's it? You ain't got no more to say?" he asked hesitantly.

Still staring intently out the window, Darien crossed his arms across his chest and also shrugged. "What's there to say, Hobbes? You've obviously got everything all worked out."

Bobby could tell from the tone of his partner's voice that Darien was just patronizing him, but he really wasn't in the mood to fight with his friend. "Well, it's like I always say, 'Bobby Hobbes is a man with a plan.'"

Darien didn't respond, and Bobby didn't push. The rest of the ride went by in uncomfortable silence. Finally, Bobby pulled the van up in front of his partner's building and watched as Darien silently reached for the door handle. Before he could get out, however, Hobbes impulsively reached out and tugged lightly on his arm. "Hey, Fawkes? Uh, you know I trust you and all but …"

"Don't worry. I won't say anything to Claire," Darien responded gruffly as he pushed the door open and jumped out of the van. He took one step away then swung around suddenly and stuck his head inside the window. "Just do me one favor, Bobby, will you?" he asked in a deceptively calm tone.

"Uh, sure. Name it?" Hobbes replied nervously. It was painfully obvious from the look on Darien's face that he was royally pissed off at him.

"Before you go getting down on one knee, making proposals, and sticking that ring on the Keep's finger, consider this – if she's really the one you want to spend your life with so badly, then why the hell have you been spending every spare moment you've had over the last couple of months _FUCKING __ME?__"_ His tone had gotten dramatically louder toward the end and the way he had shoved off the van before he stormed off had actually made it shake.

"_Yup! I-Man is pissed off all right."_ Bobby thought to himself. The only time he had ever seen Darien so angry before was when he had gone too long without counteragent and went redeye on him, and there was no scarier son-of-a-bitch on the planet when his partner was like that. So why then, was he suddenly risking his life by leaping out of the van and sprinting down behind him?

"Fawkes? Hey, Fawkes? Wait a minute, will ya?"

"Stay away from me, Hobbes. I'm really not in the mood to deal with you right now." Darien didn't even bother to turn around as he entered his apartment building.

Bobby was undeterred as he continued to follow behind his friend. He had no idea what it was compelling him to push this, but some sixth sense told him that if he didn't handle this now, then he'd never get another chance to do so. "Fawkes, please! Will you give me a minute to explain? Just a minute. That's all I'm asking."

Shaking his head, Darien strode angrily up the stairs. It was all Bobby could do to keep up with the taller man's long-legged stride. "Go away, Hobbes! I mean it."

Bobby didn't go away. Instead he continued up the stairs behind his partner.

Arriving at his apartment, Darien punched in the keycode and opened the door. Once he did, he swung around and fixed Bobby with a furious gaze. "I told you to go away, Hobbes, and I meant it. Now get the hell away from me!"

Holding the taller man's gaze, Bobby stood his ground. "No! Not until we talk." He almost flinched as he watched his partner lift up his hand and ball it into a tight fist. But instead of striking him, Darien stormed into the apartment and said, "Five minutes! That's all you've got."

Grateful for the reprieve, Bobby stepped inside and then, for some utterly inexplicable reason, he found himself suddenly completely incapable of speaking. Darien stared at him pointedly for several moments, waiting for him to say something.

Shaking with fear, and more than a bit of frustration, Bobby finally just blurted out the first thing that came to his head. "I didn't know!"

Darien blinked and cocked his head. "Wha? What do you mean, you 'didn't know?' Y-You 'didn't know' what?"

"You … me … I didn't know! I-I didn't know it mattered."

Darien shut his eyes for a long moment. Oddly enough, he actually understood what it was Hobbes was trying to say.

Hobbes, however, didn't know that Darien realized this. "I mean, well, you know … it all started so innocently. You know what I mean? Fun and games … a way to pass the time. I mean … for a while I wondered, but you never said anything, and I never said anything, and you … well, there was that crazy, kung-fu fighting, acupuncture chick. And then that _incident_ with you and Claire and all, and …"

"Bobby! STOP! Just stop right there!" Darien commanded. Every time Hobbes mentioned that "incident" between him and Claire a few months back, it made him cringe with regret.

"What?"

"First of all, that kung-fu fighting, acupuncture chick was _your_ idea, remember? _You_ were the one that suggested that an acupuncturist might be good for my back. And as for that thing with Claire – man I am soooooo sick of you acting like the wounded party over it. Do you have any idea how I felt when I came to and realized what I had done? I mean, you guys all act like it's no big deal or something. 'Just give Darien a needle and everything will be all right.' Well let me tell you something, my friend, everything is NOT all right! You guys can go on with your lives, but I'm the one who has to live on with the memories, the memories of things that I did while being in that state. Memories of the things I've done, the people I've hurt, and worse …" Darien paused to gather control.

The haunted expression on his partner's face practically broke Bobby's heart, but he didn't say a word. He just waited quietly for Darien to continue.

"What happened with Claire wasn't just some meaningless _fling _that can be easily forgotten, Hobbes," Darien finally continued in a barely controlled tone. "It certainly wasn't the first time I've tried to take advantage of a woman that way while I was under the influence of Quicksilver madness. Why don't you go and ask Arnaud's girlfriend, that doctor lady? I actually attempted to _rape_ her! I'm sure she'd just love to tell you about what a stud I am after that wonderful experience!" He paused again, shutting his eyes with the pain from the memory.

Bobby continued to wait patiently. He knew his partner needed to vent.

"The truth is, Bobby, that I'm actually grateful that Claire was under the influence of that new drug, because if she hadn't been so whacked-out and willing I could have ended up doing a lot more 'permanent' damage to her, if you know what I mean. Goodness knows I thought about it!" He stared hard at Bobby then. "So get over it, Hobbes! Get over it! At least _you_ can!" Inhaling deeply, Darien slumped down on his bed and ran his hands through his hair.

Bobby now felt like a complete shithead.

"My love life hasn't exactly been a bed of roses lately, Bobby," Darien whispered. "Even if what's been going on between us doesn't really matter to you, it sure has to me. In fact, it's mattered a lot – a whole lot."

Hobbes watched as Darien sat on the edge of the bed, his head hung down low. If he thought seeing his friend so angry a little while ago was scary, he realized now that it had nothing on seeing him like this, all sad and defeated. Slowly, he walked over toward his partner and kneeled down on the floor in front of him. He reached into his pocket and retrieved the black box just as Darien lifted his head to look at him.

Darien rarely externalized his feelings so blatantly, but seeing Bobby with that ring for Claire earlier had turned out to be way more than he could handle. It had forced him to confront his deeper feelings for his partner, and the intensity of them was rather overwhelming. He actually began to shake when he saw Bobby reach into his pocket and retrieve the small black box but, upon closer inspection, he realized that the box that his partner was now holding in his hands was not the same one he had seen in the van. What's more, the item that was inside the box was definitely not the ring that had been in the other one.

"I uh, I wanted to give this to you before," Bobby stammered out, shyly. "But, uh, well, I guess I just … I-I didn't think you'd want it."

Darien reached out and took the box. It held a solid gold ID bracelet. It had I-MAN engraved on the top, and on the back it said 'ICU' with the "C" wrapped inside a heart, and the initials "BH" in smaller letters beneath it. It was the single most beautiful piece of jewelry he had ever seen in his life – and coming from a one-time thief, that was saying a lot.

"Aw crap, Bobby!" he said gently, trying really hard to maintain control.

Bobby smiled sweetly at him. "You see what I did with the "C"? Get it? I "see" you? But with the heart it (blushing) well, you know what I'm trying to say, right?"

Darien laughed lightly as he reached out and pulled his friend into his arms. "I can't believe you, Hobbes! A ring in one pocket, and this bracelet in the other. What were you doing? Running some kind of contest or something?"

"No! No! Dare, it's not like that! Not at all!"

"No? Then what is it then?"

"Well, you know I've had a thing for Claire for a while now, since way before you even joined the Agency. She was smart, compassionate, beautiful -- it was easy to fall for her. Then you came along, and while at first I thought you were just some young, punk thief, over time you began to grow on me." Bobby cleared his throat for a moment before continuing. "Bobby Hobbes has worked for a lot of agencies over the years, and had a lot of partners too, but very few actual _friends, _you know what I mean? It was weird for me when I realized that I actually liked you enough to begin to think of you as a friend, and not just the guy I worked with. And then, well you know, we hung out that night, had some buffalo wings, a few beers, started talking a whole lot of shit to one another and, well, the rest you already know."

Darien smiled at the memory. Bobby mirrored the reaction.

His smile broadened as he recalled their first night together. "I never realized until that night just how much I had come to care about you. It only took a few weeks with you before I found myself standing in the jewelry shop buying you this bracelet." He looked pointedly at Darien, praying he hadn't misread things between them. "Being with you was fun, it was easy, and most of all, it was _good_ … so, so good!"

Darien watched as Bobby grew quiet. He didn't know why, but he knew it was time he gave his friend some reassurance. Gently, he reached out and cupped the smaller man's face in his hands, then leaned in closely and gave him a light kiss on the mouth. Apparently it worked, for the smile that Bobby flashed at him was worth a year's salary.

"You got under my skin and into my heart, Fawkes," Hobbs continued with sincerity. "Bobby Hobbes was a man possessed!" His bravado faltered somewhat. "And that's when the paranoia set in. I got scared, Fawkes. I got really scared. I just couldn't believe that you could feel the same way about me that I felt about you. Then, when all that stuff with you and the kung-fu acupuncturist chick happened, and then the "incident" with you and Claire, I just …" He shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I just needed a safety net, and who better than The Keep?"

"So that's when you got the ring for her?" Darien asked.

Bobby nodded silently.

Darien was still slightly confused. "But I don't get it, Hobbes? I mean, you and I talked in the hall following the _incident_. I told you I didn't want things between us to get weird, and you said you were okay with it."

"I thought I was," Bobby agreed. "Even though I was still upset about what happened between you and Claire, I knew nothing was going to come of it. I knew it was the Quicksilver madness that had compelled you, but I still felt rejected. So, I tried to compensate by convincing myself that I still had a chance with The Keep." Bobby looked down at the floor, clearly ashamed. "I know it was stupid, but I was feeling so lost."

Darien smiled, "So when you came by my apartment that same night to reassure me that everything was cool, that was all a front? Do you remember? You said you were going to make sure that I never forgot that it was 'Bobby Hobbes' who could make me scream, that only 'Bobby Hobbes' could make me come so hard I'd pass out. Do you remember all that, my friend?" he teased.

"Okay, okay! So maybe I'm a bit talkative in the sack! But it's only because you inspire me, Fawkes. You really do." The expression on Bobby's face almost made Darien blush, so to cover it up he held up the bracelet and smiled at it. "So, you gonna put this on me properly or what?" he asked his lover in a soft voice.

Bobby's own smile broadened as he took the bracelet from Darien and held it out reverentially. Since he was already on one knee, he cleared his throat and looked the other man solemnly in the eyes. "It would make me the happiest man on the planet if you would accept this bracelet as a token of my enduring love, affection and genuine determination to keep you screaming and coming for the rest of the foreseeable future. So will you accept this from me in good faith?"

Darien chuckled softly as he stared down at the shining token of Bobby's love. _Bobby's love?! Wow!_ He thought to himself. How lucky could he be? Sure, the guy was nuts and more than a bit odd. But to Darien, he was the most caring, giving and loving person he had ever met, and he realized that this was definitely one relationship he did _not_ want to mess up. Wrapping his arms around his lover's smaller frame, he leaned in and whispered softly, "I will," then pressed his mouth against Bobby's and kissed him with all he was worth.

"Wow!" Bobby whooped out elatedly, after coming up for air. "I can't believe you're nuts enough to really want to do this?"

"Why is that so hard to believe?" Darien asked, grinning as he put the bracelet on his wrist. "I was nuts enough to let Kevin put this stupid gland into my head. Compared to that, hooking up with you is sheer brilliance." He leaned back then and pulled his smaller friend down on top of him. "However, there are a few things we should clear up first."

"Oh?" Bobby asked, cheerfully, positioning himself more comfortably atop his lover. "And what might those things be?"

"Well, for one thing," Darien began, as he reached down to help Bobby get his shirt off. "I want a proper honeymoon, someplace nice and exotic, like Fiji or something. Next, Claire will no longer be your 'safety net,' you got that? No more fantasizing about you and her and little bald, English, scientist brats. Capice? Also, you are going to take that damn ring you got for her back to the jewelry store first thing in the morning and, finally, if you think I'm going to start speaking in third person and referring to myself as 'Darien Hobbes' from now on, then we may as well call this thing off right now!"

Bobby was about to answer, but never got the chance. The feel of his partner's hands tugging off his clothes while his mouth devoured his own left him completely unable to think, much less speak.

**THE END**


End file.
